Sharpening device for knives of meat-slicing machines.



A. M. DEMUTH.

SHARPENING DEVICE FOR KNIVES 0F MEAT SLICING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED .MAR. I7, I9I5- I Patented Mar.

Z in /2977227;

ALFRED M. DEMUTH, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SHARPENING DEVICE FOR KNIVES OF MEAT-SLIGING MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 21, 1916.

Application filed March 17, 1915. Serial No. 14,983.

To all whom) it may concern Be it known that I, ALFRED M. DEMUTH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of the city of Chicago, county of Cook, and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sharpening Devices for Knives of Meat-Slicing Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in sharpening devices for the knives of meat slicing machines, and has for its object the production of a device of this character through the medium of which the circular rotary knife of a meat slicing machine may be effectually sharpened with ease and expedition.

A further object is the production of a sharpening device which will be of an adjustable nature permitting of its use in con nection with knives of various diameters.

' A still further object is the production of a sharpening device as mentioned which will be of durable and economical construction and efficient in use.

Other objects will appear hereinafter.

With these objects in. view, the invention consists in the combinations and arrangements of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

The invention reference to the accompanying will be best understood by drawing forming a. part of this specificatlon, and

which- Figure l is a front elevation of the upper end portion' of a meat slicing machine equipped with a sharpening device embody 111;; my invention, Fig. 2 is a top plan view thereof, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail section taken on substantially line w-w of Fig. 2.

The preferred form of construction, as

illustrated in the drawing, comprises two rotary sharpening members or grinders 1 and. 2, the former having a beveled periphery for engagement with the bevel at the front of the knife 30f the machine in conjunction with which the device is employed, andthe latter having a fiat inner side for engagement with the rearward side of the knife, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. vThe knife 3 is shown mounted upon a rotatable spindle ewhich is mounted in the casing or housing 5 of the machine in the usual manner.

The sharpening members 1 and 2 are rotatably mounted upon the front ends of spindles 6 and 7 respectively, each of which is mounted at its rearward end in a cylindrical holder 8 which is slidably mounted in a housing 9. The housings 9 are arranged adjacent the front side of the knife 3 and are supported upon the upper ends of posts 10 upon which the same are threaded. Lock nuts 11 also threaded upon said posts cooperate with the housings 9 to securely fas ten the same in position. The lower ends of posts 10 are mounted for vertical adjustment in laterally projecting lugs 12 formed at the encircles the reduced rearward end of the limit forward movement thereof, as will be readily understood.

Cotiperating with each of the sharpening members is a locking device which is pro vided for the purpose of locking the former in inoperative position. Each of said locking devices comprises a vertically movable plunger 19 which is mounted in a circular housing 20 arising from the corresponding housing 9. Cooperating with said plunger .19 is a helical compression spring 21 which is interposed between a head 22 provided at the upper end of said housing and a colener locked in this position. With this arrangement then, it will be seen that the locking device cooperating with the sharpener 1 will serve to hold the latter against the influence of thespring 15 cooperating therewith since, when said sharpener is in inoperative or retracted position, the spring cooperating therewith will be under compression. In the case ofthe sharpener 2, said locking device will not hold the sharpener against the influence of the spring cooperating therewith since, in this case, the sharpener will be moved to inoperative position by virtue of the spring cooperating therewith.

The locking device cooperating with the' sharpener 2 will therefore serve simply as a means of positively locking the same in inoperative position, insuring against accidental pressing of the same into engagement with the knife.

Provided at the forward end of each of the spindles 6 and 7 is a knob or finger piece 25 whereby the former may be pressed to inoperative position and the latter manually moved against the pressure of the spring cooperating therewith to operative position,

or into contact with the rearward side of the knife.

In the operation of the sharpening device set forth, the sharpener 1 is first released by raising of the locking plunger 19 cooperating therewith. This having been done, said sharpener will be pressed forward under the influence of the corresponding spring 15 and held by the influence of said spring in contact with the beveled or front side of the knife. In the grinding operation by the member 1 a wire edge is turned over at the outer edge of the blade and this will be removed through operation of the sharpener 2. However, care must be taken in the removal of this wire edge to prevent grindin of the rearward side of the knife since this side must be maintained absolutely flat or preferably slightly concaved, as shown in Fig. 3, for the best results in the slicing operation. Therefore, in order to insure against the removal of anything but the wire edge at the rearward side of the knife, the arrangement is such, as will be seen, that the sharpener 2 is moved toward operative position by manual pressure and not by means of a spring as in the case of sharp- 'gagement with the finger piece 25 thereof,

ener 1. In the operation of the sharpener 2, the locking plunger 19 cooperating therewith is first raised whereupon the corresponding finger piece or knob'25 is engaged by the fingers, and said sharpener is pressed manually toward the cutter. With this arrangement it will be seen, that delicate manipulationpf said sharpener is made possible with the result that only the wire edge will be removed from the rearward side of the knife in the sharpening operation.

Upon the sharpening operation being completed, the sharpener 1 may be moved to inoperative position manually through ensaid sharpener being automatically locked in retracted position by the corresponding locking member 19. Upon finger piece 25 of the sharpener 2 being released, the latter will be automatically moved to inoperative position under the influence of the corresponding spring 15 and, when said sharpener reaches its outer or inoperative position, locked in this position by the corresponding locking member 19.

Through the vertical-adjustment which is aflorded the posts 10, it will be seen that the sharpeners land 2 may be adjusted to adapt the same for cooperation with slicing knives of Various sizes. And through rotary adjustment which is afforded said posts, said sharpening devices and the holders or bearing members cooperating therewith, may be adjusted to position the sharpening members out of alinement with the knife or in 100 inoperative position in order to permit of ready removal or mounting of the knife.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred form of construction' 'for carrying my invention into effect, this is capathe appended claims.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

.1. A .device for sharpening the-rotary circular knife of a slicing machine, comprising in combination a sharpener for the front of the knife; a sharpener for the back of the knife; a support for said sharpeners; means individual to said sharpeners tending normally to move said first mentioned sharpener into engagement with the knife and said second mentioned sharpener away from the knife; and means individual to said sharpeners for releasably locking the same in inoperative position, substantially as described.

2. A device for sharpening the rotary circular ife of a slicing machine, comprising we mamas g in combination a sharpener for the front of the knife; a sharpener for the back of the knife; a support for said Sharpeners; means individual to said sharpeners tending normally to move said first mentioned sharpener into engagement with the knife and said second mentioned sharpener away from the knife; and a spring pressed keeper cooperating with each sharpener for locking the same in inoperative position, substan- 1t tially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALFRED M. DEMUTH.

Witnesses:

JOSHUA R. H. Por'rs, HELEN F. Lune. 

